Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Good Morning

Good morning, American.

You wake up into a world where the most powerful man in the world is an African American. You wake up into a world where the infinite promise of a fair nation has been realized. You wake up into a world of fresh beginnings and a new era. Good morning, indeed.

Landslide. It wasn't even close. Senator Barack Obama won the Presidency and he won it big. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, Indiana- these were to be the most important states in the electorate...Barack Obama won them all. He needed 270 electoral votes; he received 338. He won states from Maine to California, from Washington to Florida, from New Jersey to Colorado.

Good morning, American. You wake up after a night of celebration. I don't know what you saw, but in my neck of the woods, people took to the streets. They milled around like lost sheep, trying to find one another, trying to find words to say. They yelled a bit and hollered a bit until they found each other. And when they did, they drew each other close and they celebrated. They jumped up and down and cheered with each other. It didn't matter that they were so few on a campus so large. When they screamed: "Yes. We. DID. Yes. We. DID. Yes. We. DID.", they made sure you heard it.

Yes he did. Barack Obama won the most powerful office in the land and he won it the right way. Barack Obama won the election like a great American. He did it the way great Americans do: with hard work, passion, earnestness, enthusiasm, ingenuity and above all, integrity. Four years ago, Barack Obama made an assertion that seemed outlandish in an age of partisanship, irrational fear and hate and disparity. He said that there is no such thing as "Red America" or "Blue America"; there is only the "United States of America." His words were powerful and his confidence unwavering, but who could believe this young Senator in the age of Cynicism? He became the President-elect through his own means and through his own competence. He did not do it by scapegoating anyone else or by tearing anyone down or by blaming anyone else for his shortcomings.

Good morning, American. You wake up today to the Death of a Cynic. As I watched grown men and women sob and weep in pure bliss on my television, I finally had to realize and accept the historical significance of what I was witnessing and what I was living through. Barack Obama isn't a perfect human being, but he is a good one and he is a decent one and he is the right one to lead this country. He did his job. He passed his exam and he did it with dignity. He spoke to us and told us that healing the ideological divide of this nation is not only essential, but possible. And I believed him. I believed this politician. I believed him because he made very clear throughout his campaign and through his victory speech that he wants to be far more than just a politician, just a Democrat and just an executive position holder; he wants to be a leader. And I believed him.

John McCain submitted his formal concession before the fifth of November broke (Remember, remember). He did not prolong the inevitable and he acted with the dignity and class that he displayed for most of his public life. It was the rarest of elections where both candidates were talented, intelligent and respectful individuals and I could not have been prouder to have voted in it. John McCain did not seem bitter or upset to lose to his worthy adversary. Instead, he stood in line behind the victor and let the President-elect fall under his mantle of history without controversy or debate.

Good morning, American. You wake up into a place of unity and fairness. You wake up into a world where a nation elects a candidate and not just a collection of strategically campaigned states. You wake up on an historic day and a special one. Regardless of your political views, appreciate this day and its significance. After this, you may and you should support President Obama when you see fit and verbally tear him to pieces when you feel he has done wrong. But for now, good morning, American.